Center lock simulated cap assembly for an automobile wheel

ABSTRACT

An automobile wheel having a hub and a cap assembly configured to removably attach to the hub is provided herein. The cap assembly includes a base component, a lug hole cover, and a center cap. The base component is removably coupled to the hub, and includes a cylindrical portion with an outer threaded surface that extends outward from the hub when the base component is coupled to the hub. The lug hole cover removably fits over the cylindrical portion of the base component to cover the plurality of lug hole openings of the hub. Additionally, the center cap is removably coupled to the base component and retain the lug hole cover against the hub.

INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE TO ANY PRIORITY APPLICATIONS

Any and all applications for which a foreign or domestic priority claimis identified in the Application Data Sheet as filed with the presentapplication are hereby incorporated by reference under 37 CFR 1.57 intheir entirety and should be considered a part of this specification.

BACKGROUND Field

The present invention relates generally to automotive wheel accessoriesand, more particularly, to a cap configured to connect to an existingautomotive wheel.

Description of the Related Art

Wheeled vehicles commonly include wheel hub assemblies that arerotatably coupled to the vehicle's axles and threaded wheel studsprotruding outward from wheel hub assemblies. The threaded wheel studsare configured to facilitate the attachment of wheels to the wheel hubassemblies. In particular, wheels commonly include a series of openingsor lug holes corresponding to the threaded wheel studs or lug bolts onthe wheel hub assemblies such that the wheels may be slid onto thethreaded wheel studs (lug bolts). Once the threaded wheel studs arereceived in the openings, the wheels may be secured to the wheel hubassemblies by a series of lug nuts screwed onto ends of the threadedwheel studs (lug bolts). Alternatively, the wheel hub assemblies mayinclude a series of threaded holes and the wheels may be secured to thewheel hub assemblies of the vehicle by a series of lug bolts extendingthrough the openings in the wheels and into the threaded holes in thewheel hub assemblies. Additionally, wheels also commonly include acenter bore for receiving a hub protruding outward from the wheel hubassembly.

However, exposed lug holes or lug nuts can be unseemly and beaesthetically not pleasing, disrupting the contours of the wheel design.

SUMMARY

An automobile wheel having a hub and a cap assembly configured toremovably attach to the hub is described herein. The cap assemblyincludes a base component, a lug hole cover, and a center cap. The basecomponent is removably coupled to the hub, and includes a cylindricalportion with an outer threaded surface that extends outward from the hubwhen the base component is coupled to the hub. The lug hole coverremovably fits over the cylindrical portion of the base component tocover the plurality of lug hole openings of the hub. Additionally, thecenter cap is removably coupled to the base component and retain the lughole cover against the hub.

The present disclosure is directed to various embodiments of anautomobile wheel including an outer rim and a hub defined generally atthe center of the automobile wheel. The hub may have a recessed outersurface and a plurality of lug hole openings arranged around a centerhub opening. The automobile wheel also includes a base component, a lughole cover, and a center cap. The base component is removably couplableto the hub to cover the center hub opening, and the base component hasan upper cylindrical portion with an outer threaded surface that extendsoutward from the hub when the base component is coupled to the hub. Thelug hole cover has a center opening configured to fit over the uppercylindrical portion of the base component to cover the plurality of lughole openings of the hub. The center cap has an inner threaded surfaceconfigured to threadably couple to the base component so that the innerthreaded surface threads onto the outer threaded surface of the basecomponent to thereby retain the lug hole cover against the hub. The lughole cover extends over and conceals the recessed outer surface of thehub.

The present disclosure is also directed to various embodiments of anautomobile wheel including an outer rim and a hub defined generally atthe center of the automobile wheel. The hub may have a recessed outersurface and a plurality of lug hole openings arranged around a centerhub opening. The automobile wheel also includes a base component, a lughole cover, and a center cap. The base component is removably couplableto the hub to cover the center hub opening, and the base component hasan upper cylindrical portion with an outer threaded surface that extendsoutward from the hub when the base component is coupled to the hub. Thebase component further includes a flange configured to be attached tothe hub around the center hub opening when the base component is coupledto the hub. The lug hole cover has a center opening configured to fitover the cylindrical portion of the base component to cover theplurality of lug hole openings of the hub. The center cap has an innerthreaded surface configured to threadably couple to the base componentso that the inner threaded surface threads onto the outer threadedsurface of the base component to thereby retain the lug hole coveragainst the hub. The lug hole cover extends over and conceals therecessed outer surface of the hub.

This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts that arefurther described below in the detailed description. This summary is notintended to identify key or essential features of the claimed subjectmatter, nor is it intended to be used in limiting the scope of theclaimed subject matter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features and advantages of embodiments of the presentdisclosure will become more apparent by reference to the followingdetailed description when considered in conjunction with the followingdrawings. In the drawings, like reference numerals are used throughoutthe figures to reference like features and components. The figures arenot necessarily drawn to scale.

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a cap assembly according toone embodiment of the present disclosure and an automotive wheel;

FIG. 2A is a perspective view of the cap assembly according to FIG. 1detachably connected to the automotive wheel;

FIG. 2B is a side cross-sectional view of the cap assembly and a portionof the automotive wheel of FIG. 2A;

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of a cap assembly according toanother embodiment of the present disclosure and an automotive wheel;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the cap assembly according to FIG. 3detachably connected to the automotive wheel;

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of a cap assembly according toanother embodiment of the present disclosure and an automotive wheel;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the cap assembly according to FIG. 5detachably connected to the automotive wheel;

FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of a cap assembly according toanother embodiment of the present disclosure and an automotive wheel;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the cap assembly according to FIG. 7detachably connected to the automotive wheel;

FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view of a cap assembly according toanother embodiment of the present disclosure and an automotive wheel;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the cap assembly according to FIG. 9detachably connected to the automotive wheel;

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present disclosure is directed to various embodiments of a capassembly 50 configured to be detachably connected to an automotive wheel10. In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1, the automotive wheel 10includes a rim 11, a plurality of spokes 12 extending radially inwardfrom the rim 11, a hub 13 disposed at a center-point of the spokes 12,and a plurality of openings or lug holes 14 in the hub 13. In someembodiments, the plurality of openings or lug holes 14 consist of two,three, four, five or more openings or lug holes. The hub 13 may havediscontinuous and/or recessed surface relative to the plurality ofspokes 12. The hub 13 may have a cavity 17 at its center. The hub 13 mayfurther have one or more indentation or recesses 15. The plurality ofopenings or lug holes 14 can receive lug bolts to fasten the wheel 10 ona vehicle (not shown here), such as threaded studs or threaded lugs. Asused herein, the term “plurality” shall mean two or more, unlessexpressly stated otherwise.

In some embodiments, the cap assembly 50 consists of a threaded base 20,a lug hole cover 30, and a top simulated center lock 40 (e.g., centercap). The threaded base 20, the lug hole cover 30, and the top simulatedcenter lock 40 can be detachably connected to one another to form thecap assembly 50. In some embodiments, the cap assembly 50 consists of athreaded base 20 and a top simulated center lock 40 without a lug holecover 30. In such embodiments, the threaded base 20 and the topsimulated center lock 40 can be detachably connected to one another toform the cap assembly 50.

The threaded base 20 may have a cylindrical shape. The threaded base 20may have an upper portion 21 and a lower portion 23 (see FIG. 2B), andeither or both of the upper portion 21 and the lower portion 23 may havea cylindrical shape. The threaded base 20 may also include anintermediate disc or flange 22, which may be placed between the upperportion 21 and the lower portion 23, such that the upper portion 21 andthe lower portion 23 are defined and/or divided by an intermediate disc22.

FIG. 2A illustrates an embodiment of the cap assembly 50 detachablyattached to the wheel 10. FIG. 2B is a side cross-sectional view of theembodiment of FIG. 2A, illustrating how the components of the capassembly 50 and the wheel 10 can be detachably attached. For example,the lower portion 23 can be received by the cavity 17 of the wheel 10,detachably coupling the threaded base 20 to the wheel 10. In someembodiments, the inner surface of the cavity 17 and the outer surface ofthe lower portion 23 may be threaded so that the threaded base 20 can bedetachably coupled to the wheel 10 by screwing the threaded base 20 tothe wheel 10. In other embodiments, the threaded base 20 can bedetachably coupled to the wheel 10 by any other suitable means. Forexample, the base 20 can be attached to the wheel 10 with one or morefasteners (e.g., screws) about the perimeter of the disc 22. Theintermediate disc 22 may have one or more protrusion 25 on either side.One or more protrusions 25 on the side facing the hub 13 of the wheel 10can be received by the one or more indentation or recesses 15 on the hub13 so that the threaded base 20 can be further secured to the wheel 10when the threaded base 20 is detachably coupled to the wheel 10. In someembodiments, the upper portion 21 may be threaded. In some embodiments,the upper portion 21 and the lower portion 23 can be both threaded, suchthat the upper portion and the lower portion are indistinguishable andthreaded base 20 can be coupled to the wheel 10 in either way.

In some embodiments, the lug hole cover 30 may have an outer portion 32and an opening 31 to receive the upper portion 21 of the threaded base20. The upper portion 21 of the threaded base 20 may extend through theopening 31. Optionally, the opening 31 may be threaded to accept thethread the threaded upper portion 21 of the threaded base 20. The outerportion 32 of the lug hole cover 30 can at least partially cover theplurality of openings or lug holes 14 in the wheel 10 when the capassembly 50 is detachably connected to the wheel 10. In some embodimentssuch as shown in FIGS. 1-2B, the plurality of openings or lug holes 14may be completely covered by the lug hole cover 30 such that theplurality of openings or lug holes 14 may not be visible from the sideof the wheel 10 where the cap assembly 50 is installed. In otherembodiments, the plurality of openings or lug holes 14 are at leastpartially visible from the side of the wheel 10 when the cap assembly 50is installed. In some embodiments, there is a gap between the lug holecover 30 and the hub 13, such that the plurality of openings or lugholes 14 are at least partially exposed.

In some embodiments such as shown in FIGS. 1-2B, the lug hole cover 30is shaped to be fit in to the recessed portion of the hub 13. In someembodiments such as shown in FIGS. 1-2B, the outer portion 32 of thecover 30 is shaped to form a continuous extension of the plurality ofspokes 12 or any other patterns on the wheel 10, such that the lug holecover 30 blends into the wheel 10 when the cap assembly 50 is detachablycoupled with the wheel 10. The lug hole cover 30 may have one or moreindentations (not shown) on the side facing the threaded base 20, theone or more indentations can accept the one or more protrusions 25 ofthe threaded base 20, such that the lug hole cover 30 would not rotatearound the threaded base 20 when the cap assembly 50 is detachablyconnected to the wheel 10.

In some embodiments (see e.g., FIGS. 2, 6, 8 and 10), when the capassembly 50 is coupled to the wheel 10, at least part of the lug holecover 40 is spaced away from the hub 13, such that the cap assembly 50is a floating cap. In some embodiments (see e.g., FIG. 4), the lug holecover 30 is not spaced away from the hub 13, but instead sits in therecessed surface of the hub 13 flush with the rest of the wheel 10.

In some embodiments, the top simulated center lock 40 can receive theupper portion 21 of the threaded base 20 extending through the lug holecover 30 such that the center lock 40 is detachably connected to thethreaded base 20. In some embodiments, the inner surface of the topsimulated center lock 40 may be threaded such that the top simulatedcenter lock 40 can be detachably coupled to the upper portion 21 byscrewing the center lock 40 to the threaded base 20. In otherembodiments, the center lock 40 can be detachably coupled to thethreaded base 20 by any other suitable means. In some embodiments, thecenter lock 40 can completely receive the upper portion 21 of thethreaded base 20 such that there would be no gap between theintermediate rim 22 of the threaded base 20 and the center lock 40 whencap assembly 50 is fully connected to the wheel 10. In otherembodiments, the center lock 40 can receive only part of the upperportion 21 such that there is a gap between the intermediate rim 22 ofthe threaded base 20 and the center lock 40 when the cap assembly 50 isfully connected to the wheel 10. In some configurations, the center lock40 (e.g., center cap) may be coupled to the threaded base 20 without thelug hole cover 30, such that the lug holes 14 are exposed when theassembly of the threaded base 20 and the center lock 40 is coupled tothe wheel.

In some embodiments, the upper portion 21 and the lower portion 23 ofthe threaded base 20 may have identical or substantially similar shapeand/or dimensions, such that either of the upper portion 21 and thelower portion 23 of the threaded base 20 may be coupled to the hub 13,and/or either of the upper portion 21 and the lower portion 23 of thethreaded base 20 may be coupled to the center lock 40. In otherembodiments, the upper portion 21 and the lower portion 23 of thethreaded base 20 may have different shape or dimensions. In someembodiment, a plurality of threaded bases 20 with various shapes and/ordimensions of the upper portion 21 and the lower portion 23 are providedto the user, such that the user may choose the threaded base 20appropriate for different wheels and/or center locks. In someembodiments, the center lock 40 may have series of depressions in theouter surface arranged to emulate the appearance of a center lockfastener. The simulated center lock fastener may aid in deterring theftof the cap assembly 50 by obfuscating the proper mechanism for detachingthe cap assembly 50 from the wheel 10.

The cap assembly 50 and its components, such as the threaded base 20,the lug hole cover 30, and the simulated cap 40, may have various shapesand features depending on, for example, the shape of the wheel 10 andits spokes 12. FIGS. 3-10 illustrate examples of different embodimentsof a cap assembly 50A-D and an automotive wheel 10A-D. Each of the wheel10A-D and the cap assembly 50A-D are constructed similar to the wheel 10and the cap assembly 50 shown in FIGS. 1-2, respectively, except asnoted below. Thus, the reference numerals used to designate the variouscomponents of the wheel 10A-D and the cap assembly 50A-D are identicalto those used for identifying the corresponding components of the wheel10 and the cap assembly 50, except that a “A,” “B,” “C,” or “D” has beenadded to the reference numerals.

In some embodiments, such as shown in FIGS. 3-4, the outer portion 32Aof the lug hole cover 30A may be star-shaped. The hub 13A may be shapedto receive the star-shaped lug hole cover 30A when the cap assembly 50Ais attached to the wheel 10A, such that the spokes 12A, hub 13A, and thelug hole cover 30A constitutes a substantially continuous surface.

In some embodiments, such as shown in FIGS. 5-6, the outer portion 32Bof the lug hole cover 30B may have five elongated spokes. The outerportion 32B may have two, three, four, seven, eight, nine or moreelongated spokes extending outward. The spokes 12B may be shaped suchthat the spokes 12B extend from the end of each elongated spoke of thelug hole cover 30B when the cap assembly 50B is attached to the wheel10B.

In some embodiments, such as shown in FIGS. 7-8, the outer portion 32Cof the lug hole cover 30C may have six teeth or spokes extending outwardunlike the lug hole cover 30 of FIGS. 1-2 which has five teeth orspokes. In some embodiments, the outer portion of the lug hole cover 30may have two, three, four, seven, eight, nine or more teeth or spokesextending outward. The spokes 12C may be shaped in accordance with thenumber of teeth or spokes extending outward in the outer portion 32C ofthe lug hole cover 30C, such that each of spokes 12C extends from theouter portion 32C of the lug hole cover 30C when the hub assembly 50C isattached to the wheel 10C.

In some embodiments, such as shown in FIGS. 9-10, the outer portion 32Dof the lug hole cover may have groove 33D on its surface. The spokes 12Dmay have grooves 34D such that the groove 33D on outer portion 32D ofthe lug hole cover continues to the groove 34D on the spokes 12D whenthe wheel assembly 50D is attached on the wheel 10D.

In some embodiments, each of the cap assembly, for example the capassembly 50 and 50A-D may have identical threaded base and/or simulatedcap, such that the threaded base 20 and/or the simulated cap 40 can beused for embodiments described in relation with FIGS. 3-10. Lug holecovers 30 and 30A-D may be shaped such that it can be usedinterchangeably with a single threaded base and/or a single simulatedcap.

Though in the embodiments described above, the lug hole cover 30-30D hasan outer portion 32-32D with shapes as shown in the figures anddescribed above, one of skill in the art will recognize that the lughole cover can have an outer portion with other suitable shapes.

While certain embodiments of the inventions have been described, theseembodiments have been presented by way of example only, and are notintended to limit the scope of the disclosure. Indeed, the novel methodsand systems described herein may be embodied in a variety of otherforms. Furthermore, various omissions, substitutions and changes in thesystems and methods described herein may be made without departing fromthe spirit of the disclosure. The accompanying claims and theirequivalents are intended to cover such forms or modifications as wouldfall within the scope and spirit of the disclosure. Accordingly, thescope of the present inventions is defined only by reference to theappended claims.

Features, materials, characteristics, or groups described in conjunctionwith a particular aspect, embodiment, or example are to be understood tobe applicable to any other aspect, embodiment or example described inthis section or elsewhere in this specification unless incompatibletherewith. All of the features disclosed in this specification(including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings), and/or allof the steps of any method or process so disclosed, may be combined inany combination, except combinations where at least some of suchfeatures and/or steps are mutually exclusive. The protection is notrestricted to the details of any foregoing embodiments. The protectionextends to any novel one, or any novel combination, of the featuresdisclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims,abstract and drawings), or to any novel one, or any novel combination,of the steps of any method or process so disclosed.

Furthermore, certain features that are described in this disclosure inthe context of separate implementations can also be implemented incombination in a single implementation. Conversely, various featuresthat are described in the context of a single implementation can also beimplemented in multiple implementations separately or in any suitablesubcombination. Moreover, although features may be described above asacting in certain combinations, one or more features from a claimedcombination can, in some cases, be excised from the combination, and thecombination may be claimed as a subcombination or variation of asubcombination.

Moreover, while operations may be depicted in the drawings or describedin the specification in a particular order, such operations need not beperformed in the particular order shown or in sequential order, or thatall operations be performed, to achieve desirable results. Otheroperations that are not depicted or described can be incorporated in theexample methods and processes. For example, one or more additionaloperations can be performed before, after, simultaneously, or betweenany of the described operations. Further, the operations may berearranged or reordered in other implementations. Those skilled in theart will appreciate that in some embodiments, the actual steps taken inthe processes illustrated and/or disclosed may differ from those shownin the figures. Depending on the embodiment, certain of the stepsdescribed above may be removed, others may be added. Furthermore, thefeatures and attributes of the specific embodiments disclosed above maybe combined in different ways to form additional embodiments, all ofwhich fall within the scope of the present disclosure. Also, theseparation of various system components in the implementations describedabove should not be understood as requiring such separation in allimplementations, and it should be understood that the describedcomponents and systems can generally be integrated together in a singleproduct or packaged into multiple products.

For purposes of this disclosure, certain aspects, advantages, and novelfeatures are described herein. Not necessarily all such advantages maybe achieved in accordance with any particular embodiment. Thus, forexample, those skilled in the art will recognize that the disclosure maybe embodied or carried out in a manner that achieves one advantage or agroup of advantages as taught herein without necessarily achieving otheradvantages as may be taught or suggested herein.

Conditional language, such as “can,” “could,” “might,” or “may,” unlessspecifically stated otherwise, or otherwise understood within thecontext as used, is generally intended to convey that certainembodiments include, while other embodiments do not include, certainfeatures, elements, and/or steps. Thus, such conditional language is notgenerally intended to imply that features, elements, and/or steps are inany way required for one or more embodiments or that one or moreembodiments necessarily include logic for deciding, with or without userinput or prompting, whether these features, elements, and/or steps areincluded or are to be performed in any particular embodiment.

Conjunctive language such as the phrase “at least one of X, Y, and Z,”unless specifically stated otherwise, is otherwise understood with thecontext as used in general to convey that an item, term, etc. may beeither X, Y, or Z. Thus, such conjunctive language is not generallyintended to imply that certain embodiments require the presence of atleast one of X, at least one of Y, and at least one of Z.

Language of degree used herein, such as the terms “approximately,”“about,” “generally,” and “substantially” as used herein represent avalue, amount, or characteristic close to the stated value, amount, orcharacteristic that still performs a desired function or achieves adesired result. For example, the terms “approximately”, “about”,“generally,” and “substantially” may refer to an amount that is withinless than 10% of, within less than 5% of, within less than 1% of, withinless than 0.1% of, and within less than 0.01% of the stated amount. Asanother example, in certain embodiments, the terms “generally parallel”and “substantially parallel” refer to a value, amount, or characteristicthat departs from exactly parallel by less than or equal to 15 degrees,10 degrees, 5 degrees, 3 degrees, 1 degree, or 0.1 degree.

The scope of the present disclosure is not intended to be limited by thespecific disclosures of preferred embodiments in this section orelsewhere in this specification, and may be defined by claims aspresented in this section or elsewhere in this specification or aspresented in the future. The language of the claims is to be interpretedbroadly based on the language employed in the claims and not limited tothe examples described in the present specification or during theprosecution of the application, which examples are to be construed asnon-exclusive.

What is claimed is:
 1. An automobile wheel, comprising: an outer rim; ahub defined generally at the center of the automobile wheel, the hubhaving a recessed outer surface and a plurality of lug hole openingsarranged around a center hub opening; a base component removablycouplable to the hub to cover the center hub opening, the base componenthaving an upper cylindrical portion with a first outer threaded surfacethat is configured to extend outward from the hub when the basecomponent is coupled to the hub; a lug hole cover having a centeropening configured to fit over the upper cylindrical portion of the basecomponent to cover the plurality of lug hole openings of the hub; and acenter cap with an inner threaded surface configured to threadablycouple to the base component so that the inner threaded surface of thecenter cap threads onto the outer threaded surface of the base componentto thereby retain the lug hole cover against the hub, wherein the lughole cover extends over and conceals the recessed outer surface of thehub, wherein at least a portion of the lug hole cover is configured tobe interposed between the center cap and the base component whiledirectly contacting the center cap and the base component, when thecenter cap, the base component and the lug hole cover are coupledtogether.
 2. The automobile wheel of claim 1, wherein the base componentfurther comprises a lower cylindrical portion with a second outerthreaded surface, the lower cylindrical portion configured to threadablycouple to the hub so that the second outer threaded surface of the basecomponent threads onto an inner threaded surface of the center hubopening.
 3. The automobile wheel of claim 2, wherein the base componentfurther comprises a flange between the upper cylindrical portion and thelower cylindrical portion, the flange configured to be attached to thehub about the center hub opening when the base component is coupled tothe center hub opening.
 4. The automobile wheel of claim 1, furthercomprising a first plurality of spokes that extends between the outerrim and the hub, wherein the lug hole cover comprises a second pluralityof spokes that substantially align with the first plurality of spokes.5. The automobile wheel of claim 1, wherein the lug hole cover isgenerally star shaped.
 6. The automobile wheel of claim 1, wherein anouter surface of the lug hole cover is configured to align with an outersurface of the wheel between the hub and the outer rim to define acontinuous surface.
 7. An automobile wheel, comprising: an outer rim; ahub defined generally at the center of the automobile wheel, the hubhaving a recessed outer surface and a plurality of lug hole openingsarranged around a center hub opening; a base component removablycouplable to the hub to cover the center hub opening, the base componenthaving an upper cylindrical portion with a first outer threaded surfacethat is configured to extend outward from the hub when the basecomponent is coupled to the hub; and a flange configured to be attachedto the hub around the center hub opening when the base component iscoupled to the hub; a lug hole cover having a center opening configuredto fit over the cylindrical portion of the base component to cover theplurality of lug hole openings of the hub; and a center cap with aninner threaded surface configured to threadably couple to the basecomponent so that the inner threaded surface of the center cap threadsonto the outer threaded surface of the base component to thereby retainthe lug hole cover against the hub, wherein the lug hole cover extendsover and conceals the recessed outer surface of the hub, wherein theflange is further configured to be positioned between the hub and thelug hole cover when the base component and the lug hole cover is coupledto the hub.
 8. The automobile wheel of claim 7, wherein the basecomponent further comprises a lower cylindrical portion with a secondouter threaded surface, the lower cylindrical portion configured tothreadably couple to the hub so that the second outer threaded surfaceof the base component threads onto an inner threaded surface of thecenter hub opening, wherein the flange of the base component is locatedbetween the lower cylindrical portion and the upper cylindrical portion.9. The automobile wheel of claim 7, further comprising a first pluralityof spokes that extends between the outer rim and the hub, wherein thelug hole cover comprises a second plurality of spokes that substantiallyalign with the first plurality of spokes.
 10. The automobile wheel ofclaim 7, wherein the lug hole cover is generally star shaped.
 11. Theautomobile wheel of claim 7, wherein an outer surface of the lug holecover is configured to align with an outer surface of the wheel betweenthe hub and the outer rim to define a continuous surface.